While spring was arriving, we were fortunate enough to be in Niagara Falls. Although we had been there many times before, seeing the daffodils was very special and on top of that, the weather was incredible.

With the short lived time to experience daffodils, especially in such a wonderful place, this was an extra treat in addition to an already fantastic wonder of the world.

Dazzling daffodils on display with the bridge from Niagara to Buffalo in the distance with the American Falls to the right.

Just a short video from a balcony showing the awe and magnificence of these wonderful falls.

Ontario Power Generation produces almost half of the electricity that Ontario homes, schools, hospitals and businesses rely on each day.

Though you’ve possibly never heard of him, Sir Adam Beck made changes that allowed Ontarians to live a comfortable, productive life. Born in Baden, Ontario, Adam Beck became the Mayor of London and the first Chairman of The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. He grew up in the nineteenth century — a time when electric wires did not crisscross the province, and when ordinary people could not access electricity. Beck wanted to change that. He believed that electricity should be affordable for everyone, not just the wealthy and powerful.

“The gifts of nature are for the public,” he said, and the gift of nature he was most determined to harness was the hydroelectric potential of the Niagara River. He was certain that the waterpower of this river could be and should be harnessed. So he made it happen, by overseeing the building of the first generating station near Queenston, Ontario and a canal that diverted water to it from the upper Niagara River.

Beck lived to see hydroelectric power begin to flow across Ontario. For his vision and his devotion to the public good, he was knighted by King George V — and became Sir Adam Beck. His statue still stands at a prominent intersection in Toronto, where University Avenue and Queen Street meet.

Sir Adam Beck would not have hesitated to build the world’s largest tunnel. By dreaming big, and making those dreams happen, Ontario Power Generation hopes to follow Sir Beck’s example — to build a clean, renewable future for Ontario.

In 2014, OPG burned its last piece of coal to make electricity. This was the largest single action to combat climate change in North America to date.

In 2015, about 60 per cent of the power generated came from OPG’s nuclear power plants and about 40 per cent was generated from the hydroelectric stations.

One kilowatt hour (kWh) is a measure of electricity demand or supply per hour. The typical customer uses approximately 800 kWh per month.

The winter is over (I think!), spring had arrived and now summer is in our midst (although I have been told not to rely on the fact that we are in ‘summer’ as Toronto weather can sometimes be unpredictable). Continue reading “Pool transformation”→

For generations, people of diverse origins have lived and worked along the narrow streets of this colourful and distinctive neighbourhood.

In the mid-19th century these streets were laid over the Denison family estate.

The tightly knit blocks of businesses, homes and community institutions evolved as successive waves of immigrants, attracted by the relative affordability of the area, added their cultural imprint to the city.

The district was first occupied by British workers, then by Jewish immigrants who converted the Victorian houses into small small family-run stores by adding makeshift ground-floor shops.

As a result, the area was known for decades as the Jewish market. After the Second World War, new Canadians from Italy, Portugal, Western Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia were drawn here, each in turn adding to the vibrant life of this culturally diverse marketplace.

Below, beyond the park and houses of the streets of Kensington Market, the financial district of downtown Toronto and the CN tower.

The synagogue is next to the park, part of the rich history of this place.

Tolerance and integration have been vital to the development of this cosmopolitan community, which is distinguished by constant renewal.

Filled with scents and sounds from around the world, Kensington Market recalls the history of the Canadian urban immigrant experience.

In a short time, we met some wonderful people from different parts of the world, it really is fascinating experiencing life in one of the most diverse cities in the world.

BeaverTails and Queues de Castor are a Canadian-based chain of pastry stands operated by BeaverTails Canada Inc. The chain’s namesake product is a line of fried dough pastries, individually hand stretched to resemble a beaver’s tail.

The chain originated in Killaloe, Ontario in 1978 and opened its first permanent store in Ottawa two years later. It now has franchises and licenses in four countries: Canada, the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

The BeaverTails pastry is similar to several other fried dough pastries and is topped with a choice of sweet condiments and confections, such as whipped cream, banana slices, crumbled oreos, cinnamon sugar, and chocolate hazelnut.

If you have not tried BeaverTails, you must try, especially if you have a sweet tooth like me and you like the look of the toppings above, scrumptious is certainly one way of describing them!

Below is a fine example of how a Beaver Tail can be enjoyed, she was so engrossed (as you can see from her eyes) that she was oblivious of me in front of her.